LAPTOP COMPUTER IN EUROPE

Its the same as in this country. Your computer will give you a list of networks it can find in the area. You have to know the name of the network to which you want to log on. Then, in most cases, the network will be password protected, so you'll have to get the password from the provider.

Lee, how do you get a password from a provider? Probably silly question - just don't know. Thanks.

What Lee means is, if your hotel has passworded wireless they will have to tell you the password to enter to connect to their network. In many places you will find free wireless, and you can also get wireless access at places like McDonald's. In those cases, no password will be necessary.

Most hotels will give you a password if they don't have open wifi. On a PC you can check for wireless network using on icon in the system tray on the lower right, on a Mac you look for networks under the airport signal on the menu bar top right.

Thank you!

No offense, but you sound like a person whose computer demands would be minimal - email mostly, maybe some emergency web searches?? Am I right? If so, you might be better served by getting an iPod Touch (the least expensive one is $199). This does email and the internet in a device as small as a cell phone. It also plays your music, stores photos (only from a computer), plays movies, and plays any number of 100,000 "apps", some of which are quite useful for travel and others are just fun. The point is, for simple email and web surfing, a laptop of any kind - even a "netbook" is overkill, overly large and heavy, and overly harmful if stolen. The best reason for needing a real laptop computer is if you need to manage the photos you take while on the trip, or if you need to manage and a group of iPods, themselves, as we do for our family, or if you blog or need to type a lot for some reason and need something with a realistic sized keyboard. If I didn't need any of those things, I would travel with the iPod Touch only, as it is an amazingly versatile little machine (and the higher resolution screen on the latest generation is a HUGE improvement over the previous generations).

No offense taken, Randy, because you are right. I do have minimal needs so will need to consider what you recommend.

Randy: Does the iPod Touch really send email and access the Internet the same as a netbook? I took my netbook to Italy this year and loved having it with me because I blogged as well as emailed and accessed the Internet, but on my next trip I would give up the blogging if I could email and attach photos to those emails with an iPod touch. Would it do all that for me?

Sharon, IMHO, it would still be a good idea to take the Laptop along, provided it's not too large or too heavy, and you don't mind hauling it around Europe. Even for "minimal use", a Laptop with a normal keyboard will be much more comfortable during the trip. During my travels, I use an iPod Touch on occasion and while it's fine for "light duty" use, the small screen and keyboard become somewhat tedious very quickly. I took along a Netbook for the first time this year, and it will be with me on every trip from now on. Although the screen is only 10.1", it's much more comfortable to use and generally a more versatile platform not only for E-mail but also journalling, Blogging and photo storage. I assume you'll be taking a Camera along, so it would be a good idea to backup photos each day. Happy travels!

It looks to me like you can't download photos to the iPod Touch that you've taken with your regular camera. Am I right? In that case it would be kind of hard to email current photos from your trip to people back home. I did absolutely love having my Toshiba netbook with me in Italy. A full-featured laptop, however, would be another matter. As much as I loved having the netbook, I don't think I would ever load myself down with a laptop on a trip.

Yes, the iPod touch does all that, just like a real computer. I am laying in bed right now typing this before I turn in. The older models required a lot of "pinching" on the touch screen to see anything with any clarity. The current model has a much sharper screen and when held horizontally, a web page can usually be read without pinching. Much better. Also, the new model comes with a camera that takes both stills (poorly) and video (pretty well) and there is an app for movie editing that is pretty nifty, too. Any photo or video taken with the device can be attached to an email easily. You cannot import photos from a camera, however. You don't really need to back up photos on a computer as long as you are reasonably careful with your sd cards. Typing on the little cell-phone like pad can be tedious, but not bad for short emails. Typing this has only taken me about six minutes so far. The price I mentioned was a Xmas special. The regular prices are 229 for 8 GB, 299 for 32GB, and 399 for 64GB (which is unnecessary for most people).

One more thing to think about is the voltage difference if you need to charge it. The MACbooks are dual voltage, so with a plug converter ($2 at a hardware store) you can plug it in anywhere in Europe. Other laptops may not be that power friendly. Doubtful you'll find any hotel in Europe that has 110 power or has stepdown transformers to borrow. Just like in the states, Starbucks and tons of other European locations have free WIFI, so connecting to the internet shouldn't be a problem. Don't forget about Skype!

James, "Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but can somebody tell me if there's a laptop made within the last 10 years that ISN'T Dual Voltage?" It's very likely that most Laptops sold these days are supplied with a "world" Charger / Power Supply, but it's remotely possible a few models sold here could still be designed solely for 115 VAC. It's such an easy thing to check prior to travel, and prudent to do so (IMHO). This potentially saves the hassle of arriving in Europe and having the power supply "go up in a puff of smoke" the first time it's connected to a power point (which of course makes the Laptop an expensive "boat anchor" for the remainder of the trip). Cheers!

Sharon, Kathy brings up a good point, one that I forgot to mention (it's late!). If you decide to travel with your Laptop, BE SURE to check the Power Supply / Charger to ensure that it's designed for "world operation". Look for the words "Input Voltage" on the Power Supply. If this states "100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz", then you'll only need an inexpensive Plug Adapter.

I took 2 european trips this year and both times took my Samsung netbook. Almost all the hotels I stayed at had free wifi in the lobby It is nice not having to look for a internet cafe or wait to use the one computer most hotels offer for free.

I think you are right, James. It was about that time (8-10 years ago) that I was wondering about that and went to Sam's Club and looked at the variety of computers there. I think even then, only one brand, an American manuf., had a single voltage supply. I think manufacturers have since discovered it's more convenient, if not cheaper, to just make and stock one universal power supply. Ten years ago Kodak cameras were still single voltage. In those days the only voltage converters were 1600W transformers, weighing pounds. I didn't want to carry one of those so I bought a dual voltage Sony.

All small personal electronics are dual voltage today. All you need is a plug adapter usually less than $5. Only hair dryers or curling irons need voltage adapters.

You might think about whether a netbook can save you enough weight to make it worth carrying. Twenty years ago, for my first vacation in Europe, I had a "case" with Cook's rail schedules, a guidebook, and other misc information. I know it weighed over 10#. Today, everything is on my netbook - schedules, accommodations list, my expense information, downloaded photos - and the full sized keyboard and screen are nice for emails. With the case and charger it's under four pounds. I'm not saying to invent uses for the netbook, but if you can use it to save the weight of other things you might carry ......

Sharon, I took my fairly light and small laptop to France two years ago. I thought it was a hassle, so I took my IPhone, (and used the Wi-Fi and phone) when we were in Italy last summer. I am seriouly considering a netbook for our trip to Spain this summer. The small laptop is just too much to carry, and the IPhone is OK, but in my old age, I want a bigger screen.

Twenty posts and no one has mentioned the iPad? I guess I just did. Agree with Randy. I blogged on an iphone for a couple trips in the dark days before St. Steve (of Jobs, not to be confused with with St. Rick of Steves) gave the world the iPad.

Sharon, When you say fairly light how big is your new laptop? A few pounds can get heavy if you have to carry it a long time. iPads, iPhone, iPod Touch, MacBook Airs, Netbooks all are good. I am bringing iPad, MacBook Air and an Android Phone (because it is unlocked) on my trip to Italy in the spring. I carry my electronics and camera gear in a rolling bag so generally I'm not shouldering the weight.

You know, I don't know how much it weighs - it's an HP laptop and is so much lighter than my old one. Turns out, my husband is going to take his camera and wants to download pictures each night. I'm very concerned about getting too much weight, but have a rolling computer bag to put it in so I can drag it. When we went to Europe in August, we had Rick Steves' mid-size bags (that rolled), but we're cutting back to the small bags this time. We learned that we need to go lighter, so I hope this won't cause a problem. Never done it before.

I just bought an iPod Touch this morning. I wanted a mobile music device with email and Internet access without having to sign up for the expense of a smart phone, which I don't really need. The iPod Touch is a nice little device, but I'm not sure I would want to use its tiny virtual keyboard for all my emailing while in Europe. It's somewhat arduous and difficult to type on for anything but the occasional short email message. I think I'm still taking my netbook with me to Europe.

Michael, The iPad would be great for Sharon, but she just got a new, lighter laptop & it didn't seem realistic to go out and tell someone a slightly better alternative would be another $500-700 device. Sharon, If your husband seems determined to download photo images each night (I have to assume he has reasons for wanting to do so) then you need a laptop-like device. A person could argue about which one is best for travel, but assuming you're not exactly made of money, it's likely that the best option for YOU will be to use the laptop you have. Gwen, You just got the iPod Touch. Give yourself some time to get used to it before you deem yourself unable to type more than a sentence or two without going into convultions. You could learn that there are numerous little tricks & shortcuts that making typing easier once you get the hang of it. For example; 1) hit the space bar twice and it automatically inserts a period. 2) it automatically capitalizes the first letter in a sentence. 3) it automatically inserts apstrophes in contractions 4) it automatically self-corrects likely mis-typed letters 5) hold a letter down for a couple of seconds and all foreign variations of that letter show up (pretty cool when you need those characters) Besides, do you really want to write long emails on vacation? Enjoy your new toy. It does some pretty amazing stuff if you take the time to learn it all.

I have an Ipod Touch that I have taken on several trips to Europe and quite a few other trips. I like it for listening to music and some light web surfing. I find it to be a pain when it comes to doing much emailing or trying to read things on it for any period of time. A year ago I bought a netbook. I am typing on it now. We have another laptop too, but somehow my husband has claimed that one and I use the netbook. I love it. We took it on a couple of other trips before we spent 4 weeks in Europe during the fall. I am so glad we took the netbook to Italy and Germany. The only place we stayed in Italy that didn't have free wifi was in Vernazza. No wifi there. I also took my Ipod, and I kept that in my purse with me while we were out touring. I had taken notes for restaurants and other recommended things that I had picked up on this helpline and other sources. It came in very handy to refer to my notes. It was not a substitute for the netbook though. If your laptop is not too big or heavy it might be nice to take with you. If you have the opportunity to try it out on a shorter trip I would recommend that first. I have taken a full sized laptop (not to Europe) and found it to be cumbersome.

That's a very snotty post Randy. Gwen bought something, reported she didn't like it, and that's her right....it's an opinion and just that. Before the the touch was invented I used to travel with a high-end Dell Axim PDA. More or less the same size as the touch, and more or less did the same things. At first it was cool that something so small, did so many cool things. After a while the small screen, and virtual keyboard go to be a giant irritation. When netbooks came along, I happily traded up, and will never go back to something so small. It took me about five years to figure that out, it took Gwen a fraction of the time....sounds like a smart lady.

I'm typing on my iPod Touch right now after 24hours of practice and I don't care what you say, it's still a pain. And yes, I do want to send two-paragraph emails to people back home while I'm in Europe. However, now that I own the iPod Touch it will probably become yet another contraption that I'll take with me to Europe. So it has increased rather than decreased my payload.

Gwen, I have an ipod touch and I agree with you ... it doesn't really work well for sending emails of any length. While I have become more adept at using the "keyboard", I rarely send emails of more than 2 sentences with it. However, I love having the Ipod with me when I travel precisely because of its small size and the various apps that you can buy. There are certain apps that are really handy ... for example, I found myself regularly using the Paris metro app on my last trip there. It was much quicker than looking at a paper map. I leave my laptop at home and use an internet cafe if I have the need to write a long email. I can see why bloggers and writers though would prefer the netbook.

The problem with internet cafes or computers that hotels sometimes provide is the key boards. They are different than what we are used to. I would almost rather send an email from my Ipod Touch. I also check my bank account, transfer money from one account to another, and sometimes pay bills online when we are on an extended trip. I would not do that from an Ipod or public computer. Don't give up on the Ipod, it really is quite useful. I do take mine, and I also take my netbook. I pack lighter in other ways. :-)

Wow Gwen, you've had the iPod Touch for 24 WHOLE hours and you have determined it's just another thing you'll have to drag around Europe? FYI; Resale of apple products on eBay is amazing. You can probably sell it for within $20 of what you paid for it. Or you could always just take it back to the store you bought it from and plead your case & get store credit for something more versatile in an even smaller package like.....like.....

Sounds smart? I usually try stuff in the store before I buy it. Apparently the ability to judge the item with great speed didn't extend to the shopping experience. And how smart is it to hang on to an multi-hundred-dollar item you apparently don't like? And reluctantly lug it around Europe? I was dead serious when I said she should return it. Given her description of her impression of it, that seems like the only reasonable move to me. You are probably right, she needs a netbook. Perhaps the store that sold her the Touch also sells netbooks. They are about the same price, so it seems like a fairly obvious move to me...

Gwen, I have a few comments to add as well. It's great that you've bought an iPod Touch as it's a useful travel accessory for much more than just sending E-mails. I've been travelling with one for several years, and it's great for music on long train journeys, showing photos, viewing the occasional short movie, checking the weather or exchange rates, etc. I think you'll find that it's a good "multi-purpose" travel item, and it won't add much to the weight of your travel gear. I've found that while the iPod Touch is fine for short E-mails or web surfing, the small screen and keyboard get to be somewhat tedious in a very short time. For that reason, I've also started packing along a Netbook (which will be with me on every trip from now on!). I'll continue packing along the iPod as well, as it's always with me when I'm out day touring so always convenient if I happen to be near a Wi-Fi spot. Cheers!

I am a photographer who travels to Europe frequently and would not go without a way to be able to download my images. I no longer take my regular laptop but a small 2 lb. Acer that cost about $300 from Best Buy. Can send emails easily and I take a small external hard driver to back up images, as you cannot burn dvd's on the Acer. But you can get a little Passport for about 100 to have images in two place (computer and external drive) I have had mine about 2 years with no problems. The weight does make a difference over a long trip.

I was being a bit flip in the way I described my reaction to the iPod Touch. I did not mean to say I think it's useless. I just happen to agree with Ken, Michael, and others that a netbook is really useful to have along when traveling to Europe. I won't re-sell the iPod Touch because I like its cuteness and there will undoubtedly be situations where I will find it useful and helpful. And hey, even if it did nothing but play my entire music collection it's worth $230. Nevertheless, I stand by my original assessment- typing on it is tedious and a pain. And it's a lot more fun after a good night's sleep. To each his/her own. Happy Travels!

I've had 4 (successive) iPhones since the day they first came out in 2007. I still don't prefer typing more than a sentence or two on it but I couldn't be without it for more than an hour. If I want to type more on the go I'll do that on my iPad or MacBook Air.

Gwen & Sharon; Whatever you decide to take with you for electronics on your next trip, always consider it a continuous experiment - a work in progress toward a more efficient travel experience. Until five years ago, electronics on vacation for us consisted of nothing more than rigging up a VCR for the back seat of our car while taking great American road trips with young children. Each of our last five years of foreign trips has been a leap forward when it comes to electronics. This summer we will be more connected than ever before and I have no doubt that the following year will be different yet, in ways I can't even imagine today. Even so, all of our electronics put together for the 5 of us (including multiple cameras) would fit into one modestly sized bag weighing less than 5lbs. And all kidding aside, since electronics advance so far every year even though the products themselves can last 3-5 years with care, we have made a science of "trading up" by way of selling last year's model on eBay to help pay for next year's much better gadget. Typically, every $250 must-have gadget has only cost us about $100 net after the resale of the older generation item. Have great trips!

I just carried my iPad through Spain. I only used it at the airport, on trains and in the hotel; not in restaurants - just "safe" places so I wouldn't have to worry about being targeted for theft. I rely on wifi only and all of our hotels offered access. It replaced my Nook as an ebook reader. My daughter took her iPod Touch and she had the same access to wifi as I did. Getting onto wifi is as simple there as it is in the US.

We took our laptop with us this past summer. Had a rolling bag we stored it in.No problems. Glad we had it for down loading photos,sending e-mails and posting on Facebook. We were able to share our trip with other as we traveled. Glad we took it.

I have a new 13' macbook pro...and plan to take it to italy in April... on a guided tour... from what it sounds like, everyone is carrying around their laptops with them/ is this true? and is the reason, so you can use them at a cafe with WiFi? and/or because they are in fear of leaving them behind so they are not stolen/ Do you think my mac is too heavy to be carrying around on a 12 day tour? and is it unsafe to leave it in the room? or on the bus?? This is my first trip abroad, so I'm a little dumb-struck.. Thanks. I just purchased it for this trip, but would hate to be burdened down by it... whats the next best choice?? if needed...

I have taken my netbook on 2 europe tours this past year to France and Italy. I never carried my netbook with me during the day preferring to leave it either in a safe or in a locked suitcase if no safe present. I really never worried about losing my computer from room theft.